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It is Friday evening at 7:30, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These committed people give up their evenings to protect the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A recent study conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Seeing a creature that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is labeled "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "ought to live successfully in the majority of habitats in the UK," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

Since 1985, Britain's toad numbers have nearly been cut in half

The Threat from Traffic

Though the study didn't cover the reasons for the drop, cars certainly plays a part. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on British roads annually – that is, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – sometimes hundreds of metres. They usually follow their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Appropriately enough, the first toads start their journey for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as late as April, waiting until it gets night and travelling after sunset. During that period, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been overwintering "all pretty much at the same time."

One volunteer, who was raised in the region and has been working to save its toad population since he was a child, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their path crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Throughout the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the creation of toad patrols across the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and carry them across roads in containers, as well as counting the quantity of toads they find and advocating for other safety solutions, such as blocked roads and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers tend to operate during the breeding period, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this implies they can miss numbers of young toads, which, having existed as spawn and then juveniles, leave their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Work

In contrast to many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not every night, but when weather are damp, or if a member has posted about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on duty, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has started and it's been a arid period – but several of the volunteers gamely agree to walk up and down their area with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her teenage child and the longtime volunteer. After for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Family Involvement

The family duo joined the patrol a while back. The teenager adores all things wildlife and has an goal to become a environmentalist, so his mother started to search for activities they could do together to help native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur tells me – so when the group was looking for a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the organization. A video he created, imploring the municipal authority to block a street through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a year of lobbying, the council approved an "restricted access" rule between 5pm and 5am from February through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several vehicles go past when I'm out on duty and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his hands. Yet despite the team's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the native community has obviously gone dormant for the winter. It appears that I wouldn't have had any better success elsewhere in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

This team anticipates assisting around ten thousand mature toads over the street

One email I get from a different helper, who has kindly made the effort to check for toads in a noted location, thought to be the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in February and March, he tells me, the team plans to assist approximately ten thousand adult toads across the road.

Impact and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations truly achieve? "The reality that people are doing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable late nights is quite extraordinary," says an researcher. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has meant extended spells of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have caused an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to emerge from their dormancy more often, disrupting the energy conservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Experts are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on wildlife," however "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, consuming pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can swallow and in turn sustaining a number of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, conserving woodland and constructing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Cultural Importance

Another reason to try to keep toads present is their "important cultural value," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred